Critical Edition
युधिष्ठिर उवाच कानि कृत्वेह कर्माणि प्रायश्चित्तीयते नरः किं कृत्वा चैव मुच्येत तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह
M. N. Dutt: Yudhishthira said 'What are the necessary rites of expiation? And what are those acts which one must do for being released from sin? Tell me this, O grandfather.
व्यास उवाच अकुर्वन्विहितं कर्म प्रतिषिद्धानि चाचरन् प्रायश्चित्तीयते ह्येवं नरो मिथ्या च वर्तयन्
M. N. Dutt: Vyasa said “Having omitted to perform those acts that have been ordained, and done those that have been forbidden, and have behaved deceitfully, a man becomes liable to perform expiation.
सूर्येणाभ्युदितो यश्च ब्रह्मचारी भवत्युत तथा सूर्याभिनिर्मुक्तः कुनखी श्यावदन्नपि
AI Translation: One who is celibate and rises with the sun, and one who is released from the sun, even if he is a leper or a black man.
परिवित्तिः परिवेत्ता ब्रह्मोज्झो यश्च कुत्सकः दिधिषूपतिस्तथा यः स्यादग्रेदिधिषुरेव च
AI Translation: One who has taken a second wife, one who has given away a wife, one who has abandoned the Veda, one who is a heretic, one who is a follower of the Dīkṣā, one who is a follower of the Dīkṣā, one who is a follower of the Dīkṣā, one who is a follower of the Dī
अवकीर्णी भवेद्यश्च द्विजातिवधकस्तथा अतीर्थे ब्रह्मणस्त्यागी तीर्थे चाप्रतिपादकः
AI Translation: One who is a hermaphrodite, one who kills a twice-born, One who abandons the Veda in an improper place, and one who does not teach it in a proper place,
ग्रामयाजी च कौन्तेय राज्ञश्च परिविक्रयी शूद्रस्त्रीवधको यश्च पूर्वः पूर्वस्तु गर्हितः
AI Translation: One who sacrifices for a village, one who sells for the king, one who kills a Śūdra woman, and the former is more condemned.
वृथापशुसमालम्भी वनदाहस्य कारकः अनृतेनोपचर्ता च प्रतिरोद्धा गुरोस्तथा
AI Translation: One who takes animals in vain, one who causes forest fires, One who is served by falsehood, one who obstructs the teacher,
यश्चाग्नीनपविध्येत तथैव ब्रह्मविक्रयी एतान्येनांसि सर्वाणि व्युत्क्रान्तसमयश्च यः
AI Translation: He who would abandon the fires, and he who would sell the Veda, and he who would violate all these vows, and he who would break the agreement,
अकार्याण्यपि वक्ष्यामि यानि तानि निबोध मे लोकवेदविरुद्धानि तान्येकाग्रमनाः शृणु
M. N. Dutt: I shall now mention other acts which men should not do, viz., acts that are forbidden by men and the Vedas. Listen to me with rapt attention.
स्वधर्मस्य परित्यागः परधर्मस्य च क्रिया अयाज्ययाजनं चैव तथाभक्ष्यस्य भक्षणम्
AI Translation: Abandoning one's own duty and performing another's duty, Sacrificing for those who should not be sacrificed for, and eating what should not be eaten,
शरणागतसंत्यागो भृत्यस्याभरणं तथा रसानां विक्रयश्चापि तिर्यग्योनिवधस्तथा
AI Translation: Abandoning those who have sought refuge, giving away one's wife, Selling herbs, and killing animals.
आधानादीनि कर्माणि शक्तिमान्न करोति यः अप्रयच्छंश्च सर्वाणि नित्यं देयानि भारत
AI Translation: One who is capable of performing the rites beginning with the Ādhāna rite but does not perform them, and one who does not always give away all that is to be given, O descendant of Bharata,
दक्षिणानामदानं च ब्राह्मणस्वाभिमर्शनम् सर्वाण्येतान्यकार्याणि प्राहुर्धर्मविदो जनाः
AI Translation: Giving away the sacrificial fee, touching the property of a brahmin, All these are said to be improper by those who know dharma.
पित्रा विभजते पुत्रो यश्च स्याद्गुरुतल्पगः अप्रजायन्नधर्मेण भवत्याधर्मिको जनः
M. N. Dutt: The son that quarrels with the father, the person who violates the bed of his preceptor, one who neglects to beget children on his wife, are all sinful, O foremost of men.
उक्तान्येतानि कर्माणि विस्तरेणेतरेण च यानि कुर्वन्नकुर्वंश्च प्रायश्चित्तीयते जनः
M. N. Dutt: I have now described to you in brief as also in detail, those acts and omissions by which a man is compelled to perform expiation.
एतान्येव तु कर्माणि क्रियमाणानि मानवान् येषु येषु निमित्तेषु न लिम्पन्त्यथ तच्छृणु
M. N. Dutt: Listen now to the circumstances under which men, by even committing these acts, are not sullied with sin.
प्रगृह्य शस्त्रमायान्तमपि वेदान्तगं रणे जिघांसन्तं निहत्याजौ न तेन ब्रह्महा भवेत्
M. N. Dutt: If a Brahmana well acquainted with the Vedas takes up arins and tries to kill you in battle, you may proceed against him for taking his life. By such an act the slayer does not become guilty of Brahmanicide.
अपि चाप्यत्र कौन्तेय मन्त्रो वेदेषु पठ्यते वेदप्रमाणविहितं तं धर्मं प्रब्रवीमि ते
M. N. Dutt: There is a Mantra in the Vedas, O son of Kunti, that sanctions it, I describe to you only those practices which are sanctioned by the authority of the Vedas.
अपेतं ब्राह्मणं वृत्ताद्यो हन्यादाततायिनम् न तेन ब्रह्महा स स्यान्मन्युस्तं मन्युमृच्छति
M. N. Dutt: One who kills a Brahmana who deviates from his own duties and who goes armed for killing a man, does not truly become the killer of a Brahmania. In such a case it is the anger of the slayer that proceeds against the anger of the slain.
प्राणात्यये तथाज्ञानादाचरन्मदिरामपि अचोदितो धर्मपरः पुनः संस्कारमर्हति
M. N. Dutt: A person by drinking alcohol unknowingly or upon the advice of a virtuous physician when his life is in a danger should have the expiatory rites performed once more in his case.
एतत्ते सर्वमाख्यातं कौन्तेयाभक्ष्यभक्षणम् प्रायश्चित्तविधानेन सर्वमेतेन शुध्यति
M. N. Dutt: All that I have told you, O son of Kunti, about the eating of forbidden food, inay be purified by such expiatory rites.
गुरुतल्पं हि गुर्वर्थे न दूषयति मानवम् उद्दालकः श्वेतकेतुं जनयामास शिष्यतः
M. N. Dutt: Knowing the preceptor's wife at the preceptor's behest, does not stain the pupil. The sage Uddalaka caused his son Shvetaketu to be begotten by a disciple.
स्तेयं कुर्वंस्तु गुर्वर्थमापत्सु न निबध्यते बहुशः कामकारेण न चेद्यः संप्रवर्तते
M. N. Dutt: A person by committing theft for his preceptor in a time of distress, is not sullied by that sin. One, however, who commits theft for procuring enjoyments for himself, becomes stained.
अन्यत्र ब्राह्मणस्वेभ्य आददानो न दुष्यति स्वयमप्राशिता यश्च न स पापेन लिप्यते
M. N. Dutt: One is not sullied by stealing from other than Brahmanas in times of distress and for the sake of his preceptor. Only one who steals under such circumstances without reserving for himself any portion thereof, is not sullied by sin.
प्राणत्राणेऽनृतं वाच्यमात्मनो वा परस्य वा गुर्वर्थे स्त्रीषु चैव स्याद्विवाहकरणेषु च
M. N. Dutt: A falsehood may be uttered for saving one's own life or that of another, or for the sake of one's preceptor, or for gratifying a woman, or for bringing about a marriage.
नावर्तते व्रतं स्वप्ने शुक्रमोक्षे कथंचन आज्यहोमः समिद्धेऽग्नौ प्रायश्चित्तं विधीयते
M. N. Dutt: One's vow of celibacy is not broken by having nocturnal pollutions. In such cases the expiation consists in the pouring of libations of clarified butter on the burning fire.
पारिवित्त्यं च पतिते नास्ति प्रव्रजिते तथा भिक्षिते पारदार्यं च न तद्धर्मस्य दूषकम्
M. N. Dutt: If the elder brother is killed or has left the world, the younger brother does not commit sin by marrying. He who solicited by a woman, knows her commits no sin.
वृथापशुसमालम्भं नैव कुर्यान्न कारयेत् अनुग्रहः पशूणां हि संस्कारो विधिचोदितः
M. N. Dutt: One should not kill or cause to be killed an animal except in a sacrifice. Animals have become sacred for the kindness shown towards them by the creator, himself in the ordinance laid down by him.
अनर्हे ब्राह्मणे दत्तमज्ञानात्तन्न दूषकम् सकारणं तथा तीर्थेऽतीर्थे वा प्रतिपादनम्
M. N. Dutt: By making a gift unknowingly to an undeserving Brahmana one does not commit sin. The ignorant omission of behaving with liberality towards a deserving person does not lead to sin.
स्त्रियस्तथापचारिण्यो निष्कृतिः स्याददूषिका अपि सा पूयते तेन न तु भर्ता प्रदुष्यते
M. N. Dutt: By forsaking an unchaste wife one does not incur sin. By such treatment the woman herself may be purified while the husband may avoid sin.
तत्त्वं ज्ञात्वा तु सोमस्य विक्रयः स्याददूषकः असमर्थस्य भृत्यस्य विसर्गः स्याददोषवान् वनदाहो गवामर्थे क्रियमाणो न दूषकः
M. N. Dutt: One who knows the true uses of the Soma juice, does not commit sin by selling it. By dismissing a servant who is incapable of doing service, one is not visited with sin.
उक्तान्येतानि कर्माणि यानि कुर्वन्न दुष्यति प्रायश्चित्तानि वक्ष्यामि विस्तरेणैव भारत
M. N. Dutt: I have grow described those acts by doing which one does not commit sin. I shall now speak to you of expiation in detail.
Supplementary Passages:
12.35.32 After 32, D7 S ins.: *47 यानि कृत्वा नरः पूतो भविष्यति नराधिप